I’ve fairly recently become interested in ‘sound installation’
projects like this, initially not so much as a space-filling
fait-accompli, but as a way of exploring parallels between
music and the visual arts. These days there are endless possibilities
in ways of transforming music and musical instruments into realms
of dimension by which they become something which teases the
boundaries of recognition, rather than remaining steadfastly
the domain of craftsmen in a concert hall. This can be ‘music’
without beginning or end, with structural implications which
often defy or cease to be relevant to analysis, but which consists
of sounds which retain their identity and are instantly identifiable
as being part of any one piece – from any point within that
piece. Nature of the Night Sky is just such a work.
Having already tinkered in this sphere of creativity and being
hopefully pencilled in for some slow music festival action at
some point in the future, I was of course instantly attracted
by the opportunity to hear Jeff Talman’s work. Nature of
the Night Sky has been generated by using the oscillation,
and therefore resonant frequencies – the ‘sound’ of stars. Working
closely with Dr. Daniel Huber, an astrophysicist currently working
at the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, Jeff Talman describes
the process of filtering “the dense packs of resonance in Daniel’s
modelled star sounds... to extract each star’s principal resonant
frequencies.” These were then mixed and overlaid, “to create
the abstract, sonic-temporal forms of the work.”
This all creates a fascinating and indeed a ‘haunting’ effect
as perceived by some commentators. Such resonances are forever
trapped within the vacuum of space, so these are of course not
real astral sounds, but you can close your eyes with this piece
and immerse yourself in a cosmic space limited only by the extent
of your own imagination. This is a binaural recording which
is rather special when experienced though good headphones. Although
the actual nature of each of the sounds given to each ‘note’
or frequency is similar, the location of each ‘star’ as it slowly
emerges and recedes is almost tangible.
This is the kind of work which you have to accept for what it
is, and use in whichever way suits you best. It’s not a work
with conventional musical themes or development, but a constantly
shifting field of sound which should awaken your imagination,
but may also frustrate. It is in no way an unpleasant experience,
though there are points in the piece at which smaller stars
with higher frequencies cluster to create predominantly high
sounds, the whistling tones making the cat leave the room when
played through speakers. This is all gentle, low-impact stuff
though, and I would imagine good for meditative use. There is
a short sample on the New Domain website,
and for what it’s worth the CD Baby ‘recommended if you like’
list cites Brian Eno, Morton Feldman and György Ligeti as comparable
artistic voices, though this would have to be very work specific.
An atonal Music for Airports might fit the bill in such
a context.
Do I have any criticisms? Yes, but these are all observations
of subjective philosophical and taste and shouldn’t put anyone
off exploring the rich textures in Nature of the Night Sky.
This is a piece which sticks rigorously to its Reinheit,
its own self-contained concept and integrity, and this
is clearly the maker’s intent and the way it should be. Aside
from moments where the range of the sounds might arguably suggest
the tones of some strange vocal choir, the sheer abstractness
of the sounds is something I would want to do more with. Combine
certain signals through an old-fashioned vocoder and you can
quite easily achieve similar effects. True, there’s rarely anything
really new under the sun these days, but having experienced
Stockhausen’s final unfinished piece Cosmic Pulses and
other extended electronic soundscape-type works, Nature of
the Night Sky isn’t really taking us anywhere really novel.
You could easily destroy the purity of this piece by introducing
inappropriate elements, but I personally miss the tensions which
might have been generated by including something from our planet
or solar system. The effect of these solar resonances is remarkable,
but Talman’s selection of resonant frequencies is of course
also a subjective element. His Night Sky is pretty much
atonal though some tonal relationships or virtual pedal-tones
do hint at points of quasi-resolution. For me this is however
a bit too easy. The wonder of an eternally shifting but never-resolving
‘celestial music’ would be more jaw-dropping if the eternally
withheld promise of alignment and consonance were more present.
Jeff Talman and Dr. Daniel Huber are set to collaborate on a
new project based on the sound of the sun in 2012, so it looks
as if there is more to be explored in this sonic investigation
of our cosmic surroundings. I look forward to this, and wish
both them and new label New Domain Records every success in
ventures which are proving to be far more than merely fascinating.
Dominy Clements
NEW DOMAIN RECORDS ND-11011 [50:22] 
